The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Tom Gormican discusses his new film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, with fellow director Scott Z. Burns in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation they speak about the letter that convinced Nicolas Cage to do the movie, directing the film from an Ipad in a hotel room, and the importance of music in a film with a constantly changing tone. The film stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself who is hired to attend the birthday of a superfan, who is actually a dangerous drug cartel kingpin. But when Cage is recruited by the CIA to help bring him down, he's forced to channel some of his most iconic on-screen characters. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/June2022/UnbearableWeight_QnA_0422.aspx

Director Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes discuss their new film, The Janes, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. They talk about the origin of the project, give more context on the films central characters, share their thoughts on the future of Roe v. Wade. Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film tells the story of the Jane Collective, a group of women who used code names, blindfolds and safe houses in an underground service for women seeking abortions in the years before the Roe v. Wade decision. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/June2022/THE_JANES_DocSeries_0422.aspx

Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi discusses his new film, Drive My Car, with fellow director Victoria Hochberg in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The conversation took place via Zoom and was translated by Aiko Hamaguchi. The film follows an aging widowed actor who receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya. During the production, he is forced to confront painful truths from his past with the help of the young woman assigned to chauffeur him. Join Mr. Hamaguchi as he shares his philosophy of what a director is and how he helps actors instinctively understand their characters. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://dga.org/Events/2022/May2022/GCS_DriveMyCar_0422.aspx

Directors Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert discuss their new film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, with fellow director Destin Daniel Cretton in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. When struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang finds out that only she can save the multiverse, she is swept into a dimension spanning adventure as she explores the other lives she could have led. Join Mr. Kwan and Mr. Scheinert as they speak about working with Michelle Yeoh, the films that inspired this film (The Matrix and Fight Club), and how twelve people completed the visual effects using After Effects. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/May2022/EverythingEverywhere_QnA_0422.aspx

Director Roland Emmerich discusses his new film, Moonfall, with fellow director Anna Foerster in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In a world on the brink of annihilation, two former astronauts team up with a conspiracy theorist to save humanity. Mr. Emmerich shares why Moonfall led him back to directing another disaster film, why production design led him to directing, how he copes with being in the edit. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/Moonfall_QnA_022219.aspx

Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium. Part two finds the nominees discussing how they help actors find their characters, what they do when the shot just isn't working, and how they deal with fear. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: www.dga.org/Events/2022/April20…eatureFilm2022.aspx

Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium. Part one finds the nominees discussing how they know they've "got the shot," where they like to sit on set, and how they prepare for production. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/MTN_TheatricalFeatureFilm2022.aspx

Director Jeff Tremaine discusses his new film, Jackass Forever, with fellow director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The original Jackass crew return after 11 years to push the envelope with another round of hilarious and absurd displays of comedy. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/JackAssForever_QnA_0222.aspx

Director Kat Coiro discusses her new film, Marry Me, with fellow director Gillian Robespierre in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. When pop star Kat Valdez learns that her fiancé has been unfaithful seconds before their wedding in front of a global audience of fans, she decides to marry Charlie, a middle school math teacher and stranger in the crowd, instead. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/MarryMe_QnA_0222.aspx

Director Joel Coen discusses his new film, The Tragedy of Macbeth, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. Based on the timeless work by William Shakespeare, the film reweaves the tale of the power-hungry Thane of Cawdor, who sets his sights on the Scottish throne. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/February2022/Macbeth_QnA_1221.aspx